As interesting as power tools are to some of us, even more interesting to me is the process that makes them real. Who are the people designing power tools? How do they decide what to make? What do their desks and workspaces look like? How do they make just a few prototype tools for testing and refinement before going in to full production? If you’ve ever wondered, let me give you some answers based on a unique experience I had in October.

That’s when I toured the brain centre of what’s arguably the most innovative power-tool manufacturer in the world right now, though it wasn’t always this way. For decades before 2005, the Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp. was the least innovative company of its kind anywhere. Years would go by without a single new model being launched, all while other manufacturers were bringing new gear to market every month. All this changed in January 2005, when new ownership took over at Milwaukee, ushering in a level of innovation that I didn’t think possible.

As you’d expect from the name, headquarters of this company is in the Milwaukee area, and the original corporate building has now morphed into the main design and testing facility for the entire company. My hosts were quite free with tours of sensitive R&D areas, beginning with a fascinating space where tool designs first take shape.

Imagine a hybrid workspace thousands of square feet in size, combining the look of a heavily computerized open office with the benches, tools and testing gear of a workshop. This is the design department of Milwaukee Tools, and the first person I met there was Steve. He’s in his late 20s and works on the largest computer drawing tablet I’ve seen, converting input from tool users and research experts into the first visual renderings of what new tools might look like. And while Steve is creating and refining overall tool concepts, other things are happening at the same time.

One of the things that make Milwaukee stand out is the short time it takes this company to bring new tools to market. New models typically appear on store shelves eight to 10 months after management makes a decision to pursue the design. This is roughly twice as fast as the industry standard and there are two reasons it’s possible.

The entire design and prototyping process at Milwaukee happens in-house, which is not typical in the power-tool business. While other companies might farm out the kind of design work that Steve does, having everything under the same management control lets things happen faster. Another reason for short time-to-market schedules is the way various design steps happen concurrently. While the ergonomics of new tools are being tested with user groups and computer-generated 3D physical models, plastics for tool cases are being sent out for government safety and fire-rating tests, even though those cases won’t be needed for another six months. Detailed, non-operational, visually authentic tool mock-ups are produced as soon as final designs are settled on, so product photography and promotional material can be produced long before internal workings are designed and tested.

Prototyping was the biggest question for me before my tour, because the process seems so challenging. How do you make, say, 10 fully operational reciprocating saws absolutely identical to those that you think should go for production, test those prototypes, pull them apart, examine them for wear and internal trouble, tweak the design, and then incorporate everything you learn back into a manufacturing process that builds 10 of thousands of copies exactly like the designs you finalized? And how do you make this whole process happen in a matter of months — or even just weeks?

Besides the stunningly brilliant people I met at every turn, the team in the prototype shop worked with stunningly brilliant equipment. Computer-controlled tools that cut steel with electrified wire, machines that create metal casings directly from computer design files automatically overnight, and other machines that measure the internal parts of tested prototypes to see how each moving component performed — all part of the magic I saw. I’ve toured tool manufacturing facilities in Europe ranging from impressive to laughably primitive, but I’ve never seen anything like Milwaukee before, and I’m not just talking about the technology.

My visit to the Milwaukee plant involved two 90 minute taxi rides, and both reminded me how hard-hit the U.S. economy still is. My first driver was a 59-year-old family man who owned and operated a renovation business before the collapse of the real estate market took him down. His last deal involved selling a home he’d invested $170,000 in for a mere $30,000. My second taxi driver used to sell high-end medical equipment before his work died, forcing him to get behind the wheel professionally. Despite plenty of stubborn signs of economic ill-health in the U.S., our neighbours to the south definitely haven’t given up. Say what you will about America, I’m repeatedly amazed at the optimism, work ethic, productivity and creativity that still spins out into the rest of the world from that country. We could do a whole lot worse than having neighbours like these, and not just because they’re responsible for some pretty impressive tools.

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